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A pervert who exposed himself to his neighbour almost daily for NINE years has been barred from returning to his home.

Kenneth Ward would follow Mandy Dunford around her smallholding in Chopgate near Stokesley, dressed only in boots and socks, for up to eight hours a day.

But despite repeated complaints to police, action was only taken when Ms Dunford supplied them with hours of CCTV.

The footage included images of Ward standing on top of a ladder performing lewd sex acts at her.

When officers raided Ward’s property in 2011 they found a cache of weapons, including machine guns.

His sinister campaign of sexual harassment was finally brought to a close when he admitted harassment, exposure and firearms offences and was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment.

After serving half of his sentence in jail, he was released on licence but breached the terms by travelling within 200 metres of his victim’s home.

He also failed to complete his sex offenders’ rehabilitation course and committed another offence of kerb-crawling while on licence.

Under the terms of a Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO), Ward would have been free to return to his property next week at the end of the five-year term.

Mandy Dunford, outside Teesside Crown court, Middlesbrough

Former policewoman Ms Dunford had been left terrified by the prospect.

The 55-year-old told the Gazette all of her belongings had been cleared out of her dream home in case the “sexual predator” came back.

But instead she was planning to celebrate, after 69-year-old Ward was made “effectively homeless” by a Teesside Crown Court judge who agreed to vary the terms of the SOPO today.

A new exclusion zone means Ward is unable to return to his property.

Acting on behalf of Ward, Michael Cahill had told the court the defendant’s family had lived there since 1640.

He said Ward, who was a tenant at the property, would be made “effectively homeless” and isolated from friends by the order.

But Judge Peter Armstrong said due to Ward’s behaviour and the location of the properties he had “no confidence” that if Ward was allowed to return to his home, Ms Dunford would be protected.

“She has suffered greatly from the defendant’s actions and it’s unfortunate that it’s taken so long to get to this stage,” he said.

“Why should she have to live next door to someone who still presents a risk?”

Kenneth Ward, 64, who was jailed for five years for possessing a cache of arms, including a loaded Luger pistol. His neighbour Mandy Dunford, 55, has won a court battle preventing him from moving back to their rural community when he is released from prison - Ward exposed himself to her for a number of years (Photo: North Yorkshire Police/PA Wire)

He accepted the terms of a new exclusion zone which will be put in place for ten years. Ward will also be electronically tagged and monitored by police for the same period of time.

Speaking outside court, Ms Dunford told the Gazette of her relief.

“I am absolutely elated,” she said. “I can now have the life I wanted.

“My celebration will be sitting in the middle of my farmyard, knowing he can’t come back.”

She said Ward’s campaign had “totally destroyed” her.

“Nothing used to bother me but now I’m a total wreck. I burst out crying all the time,” she said.

“It left me dead inside.”

Five North Yorkshire police officers who failed to respond effectively to her original reports were criticised in an internal disciplinary enquiry which concluded they failed to meet “appropriate” investigation standards.